Getting Spooked

I'm busily planning a party for Halloween. It's only a small do for the kids on our road but I love the planning bit so they'll be lots going on in the next couple of weeks.

Most of it will be DIY stuff...bin bag spider webs, using an old tailor's dummy as a spooky figure in the garden, glow sticks for games in the dark, bowls full of gooey homemade body parts...you get the picture!

The boys are very excited and have planned their outfits. Alfie wants to be the Grim Reaper this year after two years of being a zomblie.

 

Charlie decided to ditch the pumpkin & spider outfit and this year wants to be a.....BANANA. Yes. A banana.

 

We have frighteningly good ideas for the food too (see what I did there...) Hot dog fingers, meringue ghosts, worm jelly...not sure I have the stomach for cat litter tray brownies though.

I've yet to decide on my outfit for this year...maybe just getting up and not putting on my make up will do the trick!

If you're looking for Halloween party ideas, I have a whole board of spookily brilliant ideas on Pinterest HERE

This and That.

My last proper family post was back in September (really??!) and now it's May again, almost June!
I've missed a whole two seasons and I've really missed writing on here.

So what have we been doing??

September to December were the usual mental months in the run-up to Christmas with the added joys of colds and tonsillitis but the Christmas holiday was brilliant. Time off to enjoy with the kids and my Mum and Dad came for Christmas day.

Fast forward to February and there was a worrying few weeks of illness - my Mum for 3 weeks and Alfie for a week. Both of them were hit pretty hard and stayed in bed to recover.

Thankfully, just before the bugs hit, we celebrated Alfie's birthday and took him out for a birthday treat with his best friend Keziah to Cadbury World.

We had lots of other 'doing' days and trips out and about...

We're lucky to have the beautiful Belton House on our doorstep and our National Trust membership is well used! It means we can even pop along for an afternoon for a walk around the gardens or a run around in the adventure playground and not have far to go home. 

Half Term Happiness

I'm a bit late with this post (as eldest has been back at school for a week) but I really wanted a reminder of our busy time to look back on. I love the holidays with the kids - it's a nice break from the usual rush every morning and we get to spend 'proper' time together.

I adore Autumn time - everything looks so beautiful. I love to see the colour of the trees, the falling leaves and the misty mornings.

At the start of the half term Alfie went to the first of 2 halloween parties - the 1st of a schoolfriend who turned 6

Then we went on nature walks and ate chocolate cake in the park, looked at the beautiful trees turning to gold..

Did some messy art..

There were pumpkins and Trick or Treating...

A stay with Nanny & Grandad, another halloween party... 

...and then fireworks to end the week with a bang!

...not sure how we fitted it all in!